RENAULT 5 TURBO 3E IS ELECTRIFYING THE TURBO LEGACY
The Renault 5 Turbo 3E is a 555 hp all-electric tribute to the legendary R5 Turbo of the 1980s, featuring twin rear in-wheel motors, a carbon monocoque chassis co-developed with Alpine, and a production run limited to 1,980 units in homage to the year the original R5 Turbo was born. It is one of the most direct and faithful reinventions of a classic performance car in the modern electric era.
How Does the Renault 5 Turbo 3E Honour the Original R5 Turbo?
The original 1980 Renault 5 Turbo was a significant car: France's first turbocharged production vehicle, producing 160 hp and reaching 62 mph from rest in 6.9 seconds. It used a mid-mounted engine and a dramatically widened body to accommodate its rear track, creating a silhouette that made the standard R5 unrecognisable. The Turbo 3E replicates that philosophy faithfully. The widebody kit is again massively exaggerated relative to the standard Renault 5 E-Tech, the powertrain is again rear-mounted and rear-drive only, and the performance advantage over the donor car is again enormous. Where the original offered 160 hp, the 3E delivers 555 hp. Where the original covered 0 to 62 mph in under seven seconds, the 3E does it in under 3.5 seconds. The spirit of turbocharged excess has been translated perfectly into the electric domain.
Technical Architecture: Why In-Wheel Motors Change Everything
The Turbo 3E uses hub-mounted in-wheel motors at each rear corner, a configuration that delivers 4,800 Nm of combined wheel torque and eliminates the differential, driveshafts, and gear reduction hardware of a conventional powertrain layout. Each wheel is driven and braked independently, giving the car torque vectoring capability that is inherent to the architecture rather than bolted on through software. The carbon monocoque chassis was engineered in partnership with Alpine, Renault's motorsport and performance division, and carries an 800-volt electrical architecture that supports 350 kW DC fast charging, enabling a 10 to 80 percent charge in approximately 15 minutes. The total weight is 1,450 kg, remarkably light for a 555 hp dual-motor electric vehicle.
Production, Pricing, and What to Expect
Renault plans to build exactly 1,980 units of the R5 Turbo 3E, a number chosen to mark the birth year of the original R5 Turbo. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027. The homologation process confirms the car will be road-legal in Europe, and Renault has encouraged interested buyers to register their interest early given the limited production allocation. The Turbo 3E sits at the very top of Renault's current product hierarchy, positioned not as a practical car but as a statement of what the brand's engineers can achieve when free from conventional constraints. Its top speed is rated at 167 mph on the circuit.
TheArsenale has a long and celebrated relationship with Renault, including the exclusive Renault x TheArsenale collaboration. For motorsport heritage, the Renault F1 R31 Show Car and the Renault R29 F1 Rolling Chassis offer genuine pieces of Grand Prix history. Explore our full Cars collection for the world's most exceptional performance machines. Further reading: Renault UK official R5 Turbo 3E page and Top Gear's first drive of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E.
Photo: RENAULT
